Suspected Boko Haram fighters launched attacks on three communities in northern Cameroon, abducting more than 30 people including those aboard a packed bus, residents said Monday.

The assaults by the Nigeria-based terror group came as other militants invaded a town in the neighboring country of Niger for the third time in recent days, underscoring the growing regional havoc being wracked by Boko Haram.

The militants have stepped up their attacks on neighboring countries as Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin pledge to send troops to help Nigeria squash the extremist group that has killed more than 10,000 people over the past year.

In northern Cameroon, the fighters seized a bus with 20 people aboard late Sunday in Koza and then drove it back toward the Nigerian border, some 11 miles (18 kilometers) away, resident Bouba Kaina told The Associated Press by telephone.

Early Monday, another group of fighters attacked the Cameroonian town of Kolofata, looting food and livestock. The town was recently retaken by Chadian troops who have been helping the Cameroonian military fight Boko Haram.

AFP